Nova House

Pros

• The reviewer felt helped by the staff.
• The reviewer would definitely recommend the facility to others seeking help.
• The program helped the reviewer get their life back on track when they were in a downward spiral.
• The staff are the reason the reviewer is successful in life today.
• The reviewer still keeps and uses the IMR book as a reference.
• The program did a wonderful job a few years ago.

Cons

• The staff forced the resident to leave after reviewing their diagnostic assessment.
• They overheard staff committing daily HIPAA violations.
• The facility is described as a dumpy two-story apartment that relies on severely mentally ill clients to clean the living areas.
• Some staff appear to know about their field only by name, not by how it works.
• The treatment materials are outdated, with a workbook and wrap plan that are reused for new clients, including missing pages.
• The room wasn't cleaned before the resident arrived, leaving behind boogers and dirty surfaces.
• A Delta-8 vape found by a client caused intoxication in the facility, creating dangerous conditions.
• The nurse ran out of medication and failed to refill prescriptions.
• The MAR sheet was altered after discharge, and half of the medication was missing.

Review

The experience described around Nova House is a jagged mix of frustration, danger signals, and fleeting moments of usefulness. It begins with a sharp grievance about basic needs going unmet: just 15 days after a diagnostic assessment, the writer and others voice a concern over dwindling food because there wasn't adequate ordering. In an unsettling turn, the staff decide to review the writer's diagnostic assessment and then tell them to leave. An alarming aside is the narrator's perception that HIPAA was being violated on a daily basis by staff, a claim that colors the entire impression of the place. The warning is stark and pointed: AVOID THE THRIVE NETWORK. Yet, amid these accusations, there is also a stray note of gratitude - "They helped me out a lot with stuff" - which hints at inconsistent experiences even within the same facility.

The review then sketches Nova House as an institution primarily serving people who are civilly committed or on probation. It's described not as a quick 90-day program but as something that can stretch beyond or vary depending on the person and the category they fall into - particularly the so-called consequential admits. The writer explains that many clients do not meet the Department of Human Services (DHS) guidelines to stay in the program, yet they remain for a range of reasons. This structural detail matters because it implies a system that relies heavily on the coercive weight of civil commitment or the fear of incarceration to regulate behavior. It's a stark portrait of control masquerading as treatment, with the facility presented as a two-story, run-down apartment that leans on its most vulnerable residents - those with severe mental illness - to perform basic cleaning duties in the living areas. The conditions are labeled hygienically unacceptable, and the events that unfold within the walls are described as "hideous."

On the operational side, the reviewer notes a troubling pattern of staff ignorance or superficial knowledge. Some staff "appear to know about their field only by name," a critique that goes beyond personal dislike and suggests a broader lack of expertise or engagement. Equally disconcerting is the revelation that a workbook and a wrap-planning booklet used to guide mental health treatment have not been updated in years. The same materials are recycled for new clients, and in the reviewer's experience, the copy given to them was incomplete or had pages missing, with others filled in from a previous client. This reuse of materials creates a sense of routine in administrative neglect, making the therapeutic journey feel like a rote exercise rather than a personalized process.

Living conditions are described with visceral specificity. The room the reviewer entered had not been cleaned prior to arrival, forcing them to uncover and remove old tobacco from drawers and wipe surfaces themselves. The lodging is said to be cleaned primarily after discharge, but the extent of cleaning documented in the reviewer's photos goes far beyond the ordinary, revealing what is described as months' worth of "boogers" and other unmentionables, all deemed by someone as a "clean room." The account continues with a disturbing incident involving Delta-8, a substance another resident found and became intoxicated on, which underscores the broader question of safety and supervision within the facility. The image of a nurse who recognized an impending discharge but chose not to replenish medications adds to the sense that basic medical management was slipping.

The narrative then moves to discharge and post-discharge complications. The writer reports that after leaving Nova House, they were admitted to another facility, Revere Home, where the medication administration record (MAR) had been altered - dosages and even the presence of certain medications changed. The mismatch between what was prescribed and what was being administered created confusion and potential risk, with the implication that old medications were not properly disposed of and that the new staff were pressing medications that no longer belonged to the patient. The writer even mentions possible state police involvement to sort out the confusion surrounding old medications and their disposal, painting a picture of a handoff that was both chaotic and potentially dangerous.

Alongside these high-contrast moments of care and neglect, the reviewer does not deny that the facility has its defenders and moments of effectiveness. The strongly negative voice coexists with a thread of praise from a different time - "a few years ago they do a wonderful job." The reviewer notes that they still possess an IMR book from that period and that, in some instances, the program helped people move away from destructive spirals. There is a candid acknowledgment that the place can be valuable for those who genuinely need help, and that for some individuals, the treatment facility can be life-changing in a positive way. In the strongest terms, the reviewer presents a contradictory but honest picture: Nova House can be a source of substantial progress for some, while for others it may be a site of neglect, risk, and disarray.

Taken together, the narrative presents a complex portrait of Nova House: a facility operating in tension between paternalistic control and moments of meaningful intervention. The environment is criticized for its physical state and for a culture that seems to rely on fear and coercion to maintain order, with claims of HIPAA breaches and questionable medical practice adding layers of alarm. The structural design - where civil commitment and probation strategies underpin everyday life - creates a climate that can feel punitive rather than therapeutic to some residents. Yet there is a stubborn thread of hope running through the account: at times, the program has helped people stabilize their lives, and older participants retain tangible aids (like an IMR book) that continue to guide them long after discharge. The verdict, then, is not simple; it is a spectrum: between danger and potential, between neglect and care, and between a system that can empower some while failing others.

If someone is weighing options related to Nova House, this account serves as a cautionary tale about the uncertainties that can accompany long-term stays in facilities with severely strained resources. It urges potential residents to be vigilant about intake decisions, medication management, and accountability for staff conduct, including privacy protections. It also underscores the importance of oversight and ongoing quality improvement within such institutions. The explicit warning to avoid the Thrive Network adds another layer to the decision-making calculus, suggesting that the broader network around the facility may influence experiences in ways that are not always beneficial. In the end, the reviewer's story is both a warning and a testament: help can come from within, but the path to that help is uneven, and the risk of harm, mismanagement, or neglect persists in ways that cannot be ignored.

Restaurants

• Subway (0.2 miles)
• Applebee's (0.5 miles)
• Burger King (0.5 miles)
• August Schell Brewing Company (0.8 miles)
• Rodney's Tavern (1.1 miles)
• MN EIS Ice Cream & Sweets Shoppe (1.1 miles)
• Kaiserhoff (1.3 miles)

Parks

• New Ulm Dog Park (0.6 miles)
• Flandrau State Park (0.8 miles)
• Nehls Park (0.8 miles)
• Riverside Park (1 miles)
• Brown County Probation Department (1.1 miles)
• City of New Ulm, Park & Recreation Department (1.3 miles)
• Schonlau Park (1.4 miles)

Transportation

• U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer (0.7 miles)
• Wallhangers Taxidermy (10.4 miles)
• North Star Taxidermy (12.7 miles)
• West Bay Leasing Services (17.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Mary's Catholic Church (0.7 miles)
• First Baptist Church (1 miles)
• Wlcfs: Christian Family Counseling (1.3 miles)
• New Ulm Evangelical Free Chr (1.4 miles)
• Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (1.6 miles)
• Oakwood United Methodist Church (1.7 miles)
• New Ulm Pastoral Center (1.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Thrifty White Pharmacy (1.1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.6 miles)
• Randy's Family Drug & Gift (13.7 miles)
• Guidepoint Pharmacy (17.1 miles)

Physicians

• Allina Health Clinic (1.6 miles)

Cafes

• Sippet Coffee And Bage (1.7 miles)
• Caribou Coffee (1.7 miles)
• Big Dogs Treasures & Coffee Shop (10.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Sleepy Eye Medical Clinic (14 miles)
• Sleepy Eye Medical Center (14 miles)
• Madelia Community Hospital (17.4 miles)